External appearance is important to most people. In recent years, methods and apparatuses have been developed for different cosmetic treatments. Among these are hair removal, treatment of vascular lesions and skin rejuvenation. In these treatments, a volume of skin tissue under the skin is heated to a temperature that is sufficiently high as to achieve a desired skin effect. The temperature producing the desired effect is typically in the range of 38-60 degrees Celsius. One method that has been used for heating the epidermal and dermal layers of the skin is pulsed or continuous radio-frequency (RF) energy. In this method, electrodes are applied to the skin and an RF voltage pulse is applied across the electrodes. The properties of the voltage pulse are selected so as to generate an RF current pulse which heats the tissue to the required temperature.
Presently, a number of light based skin surface or deeper skin layer treatments have been developed. These treatments typically use laser diodes, LED, Xenon lamp (Intense Pulsed Light or IPL) or incandescent lamp radiation to irradiate a surface of skin where vascular lesions, varicose veins, acne, mole marks and similar disorders are present. The optical radiation may have a single wavelength or several wavelengths. The wavelengths are selected to be optimal for the color of the contrasted component of the target skin segment, and are typically in the range of 400 to 1800 nm.
The above described equipment is both costly and bulky. It is typically operated in an ambulatory set-up by a qualified operator and frequently requires the presence of medical personnel specialized in such treatments. There is a need on the market for a small size, low cost, and safe to use apparatus that may be operated by the user and enable the user to use the equipment and get results similar or identical to those achieved by professional equipment skin treatments.